Virtual Virtuosi: The Met Opera Series
at TSL
by Ross Rice
...A Calder-esque astrolabe is suspended
from the ceiling, and nebulae and star-clusters hover in the
background, re-enforcing the universality of the themes of
Roméo et Juliette, and their “star-crossed”
love. The saturated reds, oranges, and purples, and attention
to the detail of the Italian Renaissance style of the costumes
is impressive, making the chorus effective as moving and singing
scenery. The multi-camera editing, with its amazing close-ups
and dolly and crane sweeps, gives us a truly idealized opera
experience. It’s almost overwhelming.
“For some people, it’s an almost
religious experience. People cheer, clap, and even cry,”
says Michael Chameides, whose duties are chameleonic, but
he’s the guy who often presents the public face of TSL.
Today, he is also the guy who makes sure the satellite feed
is good, and adjusts volumes on the surround-sound speaker
array, under the instructions relayed up to the projection
booth from TSL co-founder and artistic director Linda Mussmann.
He explains the genesis of this new relationship with the
Met: “We partnered with a company called Emerging Pictures
a little over a year ago. They act as an intermediary to the
distributors—who traditionally have distributed films on 35
mm—digitize the films, and then re-broadcast them as digital
content. In terms of pixels and actual amounts of information,
it’s just as good as film, and it’s a lot cheaper
and it’s a lot more environmentally friendly.”
Last year, The Met series became available through Emerging
Pictures, and TSL jumped on it. The results: a big hit in
the community, and an accessible way to enjoy world-class
opera.
The Met Opera broadcasting program was the
brainchild of the Met’s new general manager, Peter Gelb,
whose previous experience included managing Vladimir Horowitz...CONTINUE....
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